Dempsey Salutes ThanksUSA Organization

By Claudette Roulo

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, July 12, 2012 – After briefly bursting into song before addressing supporters and scholarship recipients at the ThanksUSA Treasure Our Troops gala held July 11 at the Newseum here, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey called the event one of the most interesting he attends.

"I say that because of what it says to America that a ten year old and an eight year old saw a problem and decided to do something about it," Dempsey said.

ThanksUSA is a nonprofit group that distributes need-based scholarships to the children and spouses of active duty U.S. military members, according to the organization’s website. ThanksUSA was founded by Kelsi and Rachel Okun in 2006, when they were eight and ten years old, respectively. Since then, the program has awarded 2,500 scholarships totaling almost $7.5 million.

Dempsey noted that as he started speaking it was early morning in Afghanistan, and many service members deployed there were just beginning their work day.

“They're part of the armed forces of the United States, doing the nation's bidding, wherever that takes them and regardless of the personal risk and the sacrifices that we ask of them and their families,” Dempsey said.

“I'm often asked, 'What holds all this together? How do they persevere year after year and deployment after deployment?' And the answer is actually fairly simple. It all holds together because of trust,” he continued. “Soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines and Coast Guardsmen trust each other. They trust their leaders. They trust the civilian leaders of our nation. And they trust their fellow citizens. If they didn't, they'd never leave their base camps, they'd never strap themselves into a cockpit, they'd never man the deck of an aircraft carrier, and they'd never descend beneath the waves. Trust is what holds our military family together.”

The Okun family embraced the spirit of service, Dempsey said, and in doing so set a powerful example for America.

Dempsey cited the example of Army Gen. Omar Bradley, who on July 11, 1944, created the plan that allowed Allied troops to push forward out of Normandy and advance into Europe.

“On June 6th, 1944, we conducted the Normandy invasion. We seized the beachhead, but then, frankly, we bogged down a little bit because the terrain was extraordinarily difficult,” Dempsey said. “But ... today in history, that many years ago, Omar Bradley created and designed his breakout plan.”

“Several years ago, seeing the challenges faced by servicemen and women and their families serving during this extended conflict, Rachel and Kelsi had a breakout moment of their own,” he continued. “They founded ThanksUSA. ... They’ve strengthened the bond of trust between America and its military, and for that we are deeply, deeply grateful and enormously proud.”

Returning to the events of Normandy, Dempsey paraphrased a piece from the Columbus Star newspaper in 1944.

“‘Today is a fitting day to ask ourselves, am I doing enough?’ If I met a man who was there at Normandy today, could I look him squarely in the face and say I did my share? Well, let me tell you, ThanksUSA and those honored here tonight can answer that question with a resounding yes,” Dempsey said.

Noting his reputation for singing at public events, Dempsey wrapped up his comments by inviting Rachel and Kelsi to join him onstage to sing “God Bless America.”

“If you know the song, you should join in, and if you don’t, you should be ashamed of yourself,” he added.

Empire Shield arms Wisconsin National Guard with homeland defense information

By 1st Sgt. Vaughn R. Larson

Wisconsin National Guard

With the CERFP's (Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, and High-Explosive Emergency Response Force Package) recent certification, the Wisconsin National Guard has additional resources to apply to domestic emergency operations. To get a sense of how National Guard assets can integrate with local agencies, a team of Wisconsin National Guard members representing the Joint Staff and CERFP visited the New York National Guard's Joint Task Force Empire Shield, which has conducted a state-duty homeland security mission since Sept. 11, 2001.

"We were able to visit with the command elements of JTF Empire Shield and discuss with them in depth and see first-hand how they conduct their missions and orchestrate their day-to-day missions," said Brig. Gen. Scott Legwold, director of the Wisconsin National Guard Joint Staff. "Our takeaways are truly learning from an organization that provides personnel to support homeland security day in and day out at multiple locations in a vast metropolitan area, which is not done in any other cities [currently] to our knowledge."

JTF Empire Shield has approximately 280 National Guard Soldiers and Airmen on state duty in three company-sized elements, patrolling vital transportation terminals in the New York City area and nuclear power plants north on the Hudson River. They coordinate daily with various law enforcement agencies and state agencies such as the New York Naval Militia - a state maritime agency comprised largely of retired Navy Reserve personnel.

Lt. Col. Peter Riley, JTF Empire Shield commander, explained that his troops support law enforcement, but their primary mission is to detect and deter terrorism.

"Sometimes that means they can assist law enforcement, but they don't have the power to arrest," Riley said.

"We're there for presence," added Senior Master Sgt. Edwin Mondezie, Jr., the JTF Empire Shield senior enlisted advisor. "It's so difficult, the role that we play. Even explaining it to the Soldiers, it gets difficult. We're one incident away from being good guys to, 'Why are they out there?' So we have to make sure at all times that we are supporting law enforcement, not doing our own thing."

"Our customers, agency partners and the public in general like what we do," Riley said. "They like that show of force, that presence."

Mondezie said it is impossible to measure how many threats have been prevented simply by having armed Guard members on patrol.

Maj. David Hellekson, the Wisconsin National Guard provost marshal, was impressed with JTF Empire Shield's scale of operations.

"The interagency cooperation has to exist at so many different levels," Hellekson said. "That really drives home the importance of building relationships between those agencies so you can function and train, so when real stuff happens you're ready to go. You have those relationships established and methodologies established so you can act when you're needed to respond."

Capt. Jeremy Duffy, a member of the Wisconsin National Guard CERFP, agreed.

"The biggest thing was how they did the integration and joint service connection, the interagency cooperation between the police, fire and different law enforcement agencies," Duffy said. "As we stand up [the CERFP], that's going to be our biggest challenge - to figure out how we bridge the gap and create that cooperation for interagency training and application."

Duffy said one lesson learned from JTF Empire Shield is to request to train with agencies the CERFP will support in the event of a domestic emergency. 

"That way they're really driving the train and we're not," Duffy said. "They're running the show and we're just there to supplement them."

Legwold said the information gained can be applied if the Wisconsin National Guard is ordered to augment local authorities.

"We certainly can turn to the New York National Guard for a top flight example of conducting a security mission," Legwold said. "They have a set rules of engagement for individuals providing security, and how they implement their rotating security, how they set up their sites, how they work in an urban interagency environment with a significant number of stake holders and interagency partners - all of these are timely and important examples, along with lessons learned that can assist us in planning for any similar mission in the future."

Hellekson said that the visit put the homeland security picture into perspective - not only because of the large metropolitan areas surrounding Wisconsin, but the enduring threat potential in New York City.

"9/11 isn't that far back in their rear view mirror," Hellekson observed. "This isn't a scenario for them."

Dempsey Meets With Russian Counterpart at Pentagon

By Army Sgt. 1st Class Tyrone C. Marshall Jr.

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, July 12, 2012 – The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff met with his Russian counterpart today at the Pentagon to discuss international security issues and methods to foster military relations, said Navy Cmdr. Scott McIlnay, public affairs officer for the chairman.

U.S. Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey met with Russian Army Gen. Nikolay Makarov, deputy minister of defense and chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.

“This was General Dempsey's first substantive meeting with General Makarov since he assumed duties as Chief of General Staff in June 2008,” McIlnay said. “The two leaders had brief contact in January and April at the Military Committee in Chief of Defense Staff session.”

McIlnay said the chairman and Makarov discussed “topics of mutual security interests in Afghanistan, [and] the Middle East, to include Syria, the Asia-Pacific, and missile defense.

“They also discussed the status and way ahead for the Bilateral Presidential Commission's Military Cooperation Working Group (MCWG),” he said.

McIlnay explained the working group was established to identify mutually beneficial areas of cooperation; coordinate implementation of joint projects to strengthen strategic stability and international security; develop military contacts; discuss matters of mutual security; and monitor execution of current cooperative projects and joint activities.

“The Military Cooperation Work Plan, a product of the MCWG, has seen recent expansion, with 17 events included in the 2009 plan and 110 events in the 2012 plan,” McIlnay said. “Bilateral engagements on the work plan include port visits, education exchanges, and exercises.”

McIlnay noted that the U.S. and Russian Forces Joint Training Exercise on Fort Carson, Colo., in May was an example of previous cooperation between both militaries.

“For about two weeks, 20 Russian soldiers conducted joint training with U.S. forces,” he said.

Locklear Meets With Australian Military Leaders

By Donna Miles

American Forces Press Service

CANBERRA, Australia, July 12, 2012 – The top U.S. officer in the Pacific region spent a full day of meetings here today with senior Australian military leaders exploring ways to continue to bolster the already-robust military-to-military relationship between the staunch allies.

Navy Adm. Samuel J. Locklear III, during his first visit here since taking command of U.S. Pacific Command in March, met with Australian Defense Chief Gen. David Hurley and his senior staff to discuss developments in the U.S.-Australian alliance that marked its 60th anniversary last year.

The Australians “have demonstrated themselves to be a very reliable partner with us in a lot of different areas,” Locklear told American Forces Press Service during the flight here. “They have done a lot to contribute to global security and they have been a good partner to the United States.”

Today’s talks included an assessment of the Marine Corps rotational deployments that began here this spring, officials said. President Barack Obama and Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard, with whom Locklear will meet July 13, announced that arrangement in November as part of an expanded military-to-military relationship between the two countries.

The Marines are serving six-month deployments between April and September, partnering with Australian forces and fanning out from their base at Australia’s Robertson Barracks outside Darwin throughout the region. The first rotation of Marines recently returned to Darwin after taking part in the annual Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training, or CARAT, exercise between the United States and Bangladesh, Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines, Thailand and East Timor.

The concept, Locklear explained, is to bolster U.S. theater engagement in the Asia-Pacific -- a major goal in the new defense strategic guidance -- without the need for new infrastructure or permanent U.S. bases.

“This is part of our larger strategy in the Pacific to expand the places that we can operate with our allies and our partners and to have assurance that we are properly positioned to deal with the growing number of challenges,” he said.

Locklear and Hurley emphasized the importance of increasing interoperability as these force-posture initiatives unfold. This, they agreed, will ensure their militaries can work together more effectively and efficiency to deal with challenges ranging from natural disasters to cyber threats.

A new agreement, announced in September following the annual Australia-U.S. Ministerial Consultations in San Francisco, encourages closer cooperation in confronting cyber threats operating in what U.S. Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta called “the battlefield of the future.”

Locklear and Hurley both expressed their respective countries’ interest in promoting multilateral relationships, and ways they can support each others’ initiatives.

Locklear said today’s sessions and those to follow will set the stage for the next AUSMIN session, this fall in Australia, and for a chiefs of defense conference for regional military leaders that he and the Australians will co-host in November.

The admiral said he’s made a priority in his first months at Pacom to reach out to the five U.S. allies in the region. He recently traveled to Japan and South Korea, and is spending this week in Australia and the Philippines, with plans to visit Thailand as soon as possible.

“This is an indication of the significance and importance of these allies to our future security,” he said, emphasizing the importance of continuous communication to ensure those alliances remain strong and relevant.

In his closing comments today, Locklear thanked his Australian hosts for their long-standing friendship and support and the valuable insights they provide. This collaboration, he said, can only enhance the way the allies engage together and with other regional partners to promote security, stability and prosperity in the region.